Blue Jays – Page 3 – Mary Ann Steggles

It’s raining Ospreys…Achieva chick demise…Saturday in Bird World

16 March 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

Before I begin, the little chick at Achieva is no longer with us. It remains unclear as to what happened. No eggs, no chick. Some predator during the night. So sad. jack was so excited about this baby.

Friday was quite the day. Every time I turned around, something new happened with the Ospreys. It was wonderful but, at times, a little overwhelming. Ospreys will populate the news as they arrive and lay eggs, and things will go quiet for a month before everyone begins to hatch. Thank goodness for incubation.

So, we are fully into migration for all the species. As so many have noted, the ‘spring up’ in terms of Daylight Savings Time seems to have caused spring – which was not expected in some places for a few weeks now – to jumpstart. Things to remember about migration: Get your city to turn its lights off. Turn your lights off. Gives the birds a chance. BirdCast says there are 5.5 million birds on the move Friday night. Put up the Feather Friendly stickers on your window. Fill the feeders. Get the water bowls and baths clean. Stock up on seed. Welcome them home! or boost their energy as they fly through. Here are 10 ways in which you can help:

10-Ways-to-Help-Migratory-Birds Download

How-turning-off-lights-can-save-billions-of-migrating-birds Download

Heres-how-you-can-go-Lights-Out-BirdCast Download

If you don’t know BirdCast, check it out. You can input your location if you live in the US and see what species are arriving and in what numbers. It is a lot of fun and you will learn something.

‘The Girls’ and ‘The Boyfriend’ are all fine, as are the garden animals. Everyone has been seen, which is such a relief this time of year. The squirrels think another winter blizzard is coming as they haul away peanut after peanut. There are now four Blue Jays, which means two have arrived to join the two who stayed during the winter.

Hugo Yugo will go for her ‘operation’ on Wednesday. Dr Green, the vet who has cared for her all along, will have the honours. The primary issue with all voluntary kitten adoption organisations is that they are overwhelmed and have to rely on the vets having space for their kittens. They never know what is available. Dear darling Hugo Yugo, the tiniest 6-month-old kitten I have ever seen, went into heat last Tuesday. It is unimaginable to me that something so tiny would be ready to breed. Her very loud meow turned into a horrifically loud mating call that brought endless feral males to the deck! Poor thing. So glad she was in the house! So, we decided to try to see if there was any possibility of getting her into our vet before the end of May or September. Luckily, they had a cancellation today. I couldn’t believe our luck. So send her good wishes – she will be sleeping on warm blankets and having good pain meds on the 20th.

I learn something valuable every day. Dr Peter Bloom, who banded Black 61, is also responsible for something extraordinary. Steve Schubert of Morro Audubon says, “Pete Bloom captured and brought in the last remaining wild California Condor on Easter Sunday in 1987, contributing to the captive breeding program . The species was absent from the wild until reintroduction began several years later, in 1992.”

Friday was a bit of a day – . Ospreys were landing in their nests, Ospreys were laying eggs, and a chick was hatching at Venice Golf and Country Club. Thank you so much to ‘H, J, and M’ who helped me stay on top of it all! Very seriously, there is no way that a single individual can monitor 150+ osprey nests, so I appreciate all your sightings! You are amazing.

Lucy laid her first egg at Lake Murray. I so hope the GHOs leave this nest alone this year. She has a new mate having lost Ricky and all three of her chicks in 2023.

It looks like both Mum and Dad have arrived at the Patchogue Osprey platform on Long Island. These two did what most only dreamed of last year—they raised four osplets to fledge!

The first egg has hatched at Venice Golf and Country Club! Congratulations. In 2023, their first egg hatched on the 13th of March – so very close this year.

‘H’ also reminds us, “Olivia arrived at Severna Park on 3/8, Oscar on 3/10. Edie at Captiva laid her second egg on 3/13, expect a possible 3rd egg tomorrow. Opal at Forsythe arrived this morning.”

At Dahlgren, Jack brought in his first ‘stuffie’ of the season on Friday. There might be some difficulty deciphering which female is which, but we will never mistake Jack.

Looks like that stuffed animal is gone.

Ospreys arriving in Europe and getting right to the action.

The first arrival at River Gwash, and the fishing looks good.

At Port Lincoln, Ervie and Giliath are fishing buddies.

In the UK, it looks like Blue 33 and Maya will be the first to lay eggs. Laddie has yet to return to Loch of the Lowes. Blue NCO waits.

That is definitely not an Osprey on Loch Arkaig’s nest 1 that used to belong to Louis and Aila. (Louis and Dorcha are on nest 2).

‘A’ has been watching the West End nest and notes, “I watched a late afternoon feeding from Akecheta where the two older chicks were very well behaved (probably stuffed) and dad concentrated on the youngest for several minutes. It was bonked just once throughout the event. It’s a strong, feisty wee one and it gets itself to the table when it can. I have my fingers crossed for it, but if the food supply remains as good as it usually is with these parents, I am cautiously optimistic. In fact, a lot of our two-eaglet nests with young chicks are doing well, with relatively little bonking, although there is the worry you noted with possible intruders at one nest. Of course, we all know that losing a parent is the worst thing that can befall a nest with young chicks, followed by a food shortage or prolonged rain. So, while we cannot control any of those things, I am still hoping this season has turned a corner.”

Proud Dad Akecheta with fantastic Mum, Thunder.

Cali Condor caught Thunder giving a private feeding to eaglet 3 at the West End.

‘A’ was watching when Akecheta fed the wee one and says, “Watch Akecheta feeding the baby some lunch from 13:12. The wee one is eating well and getting enough food. It waits its turn – but these parents are diligent enough to ensure that the older two are sufficiently stuffed to let the youngest have its turn at the table. And the size of some of the fish Akecheta in particular is bringing in is awesome! With each day that passes, as the baby of the bunch gets stronger and more agile, I am more hopeful about this nest. The older two have calmed down slightly – Nessie has a long neck!!!!!”

The two eaglets at Bluff City are eating squirrel. Is it just me or is that first hatch twice as big as the second?

Just look at the eaglets at Johnson City. Jolene and Boone have chicks with the ‘fattest little bottoms’ and their thermal down is really coming in….big clown feet. I blinked. Must have.

Dixie and Mason continue to do great at Superbeaks.

Leaper and Jersey had a fabulous feeding. The new male is keeping nice sized fish in the pantry for Mum and the kids. Their crops were popping several times today. No worries at this nest!

Jack arrived at 0921 on Friday with a fish for Diane and the new baby at Achieva.

The last feeding that I saw on Friday was late afternoon. Jack came to the nest empty-taloned but wet later.

The Crows are the only ones at Oyster Bay so far.

Oh, empty platform at Chesapeake Bay. There is confirmation that the ospreys are flooding the area as they arrive from their winter migration.

Let us all hope that it is a much better year for the Osprey couple that find this nest in Cape May Meadows.

There was an osprey on the MNSA platform on Friday.

The Estonian Golden Eagle Helju has laid the first egg of the season!

In Florida, R6 is now learning about having to defend a nest against intruders!

E23 continues his flapping and flying…we are so near fledge.

Sharon Lee captured Gabby and Beau and isn’t it a gorgeous image of the pair at NE Florida?

Jackie and Shadow are so hopeful. More snow. We need to be more like them. I still wish for a fairy to delivery them a baby eaglet.

Big Red and Arthur were working away on their nest at Cornell. I am expecting eggs to be laid here and at the nest of Angel and Tom any day.

Annie almost had me thinking she was laying her first egg on Friday. Archie was in the scrape calling her when she wasn’t there. Gosh, isn’t he cute? And look at those deep chrome-yellow legs. This guy is healthy!

Annie.

Archie.

Monty and Hartley were both at the San Jose City Hall scrape on Friday.

It’s not siblicide in Ospreys. Geemeff sends us an article out of Science that discusses the Eurasian Hoopoe and siblicide.

Watch-out-This-colorful-bird-raises-a-nest-of-cannibals-Science-AAAS Download

YOU can make a difference. Do not give up…the Nightingales won because people stood up for their habitat!

Nightingale-habitat-saved-after-public-outcry-BirdGuides Download

That’s a crazy round-up of some of the nests that everyone is following. Don’t be shy! Send me any osprey news that you see – landing on a nest, laying an egg, hatching. Everything is appreciated and welcome. Take care all. Thank you for being with me today. Send good energy to the Achieva nest – there is lots of food competition there for Jack!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, images, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, Geemeff, H, M, SS’, National Wildlife Federation, Spectrum News, BirdCast, Lake Murray Ospreys, PSEG, Isak, Forsythe Osprey Cam, Dahlgren Osprey Cam, Jane Dell, River Gwash Ospreys, PLO, Mary Kerr, Geemeff, IWS/Explore.org, Cali Condor, Bluff City-ETSU, Johnson City-ETSU, Superbeaks. Duke Farms, Achieva Credit Union, Chesapeake Conservancy/Explore.org, SCMM, MNSA, Eagle Club of Estonia, WRDC, SK Hideaways, Sharon Lee, FOBBV, Cornell RTH Cam, Cal Falcons, San Jose City Hall Falcon Cam, Science, and BirdGuides.

Friday in Bird World

15 March 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

Spring is coming and with it the arrival of Canada Geese, songbirds, and Ospreys amongst other raptors.

Today, more than a thousand Canada Geese turned the sky black at Fort Whyte Alive in Winnipeg. Most landed on the Bison fields while a few went to the open water on Devonian Lake and others decided to peck at the ice inside the nature centre.

As the Ospreys arrive at their nests around the world, laying eggs, and hatching osplets, I begin to be a ‘little more scattered’ than I might normally be. Last year, the total number of eggs that ‘H’ and I observed was 338. This year we hope to bring that total to 500. It is an enormous task. I am extremely grateful to those who have reached out to me, offering to send me information on the nests that they are watching. So, as a reminder, if you watch a particular osprey nest, please feel free to send me the date the eggs were laid and the dates of the hatch, and please do tell me if you are observing the chicks bashing the daylights out of one another. This could be ‘dominance play’, or it could be serious and result in siblicide. Even if you miss all of the major events but tune in to a nest and notice aggressive behaviour or something worrisome, do let me know. I appreciate any and all messages!

Let us go back to Dr Alan Poole’s talk. In my last blog, I talked about his first main topic—issues related to fish and the problems that the Ospreys face with the Chinese fishing trawlers taking huge nets of surface fish such as Manhadan and Mullet along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the US and West Africa. The other three topics were Problem Nests, Restoring Osprey Populations, and Streaming cams.

Problem Nests: Dr Poole pointed out that not having enough nests for ospreys is a ‘positive’ problem when you have too many ospreys. He notes that Greece has not a single osprey. Poland is shooting all of theirs, the Balkans have none, etc. There are 8-10,000 Osprey pairs in the Chesapeake Bay Area of the US alone. Imagine. There are 5000 nesting pairs in Florida. So, what do they use? Ospreys have adapted to use human-made structures because there are not enough good trees. In fact, this is becoming a serious problem for Bald Eagles. One human-made structure that Ospreys use are the hydro or power poles. The power companies don’t like this. They try to kick them off. It is, in fact, easy for the power companies to add an auxiliary appendage or put up an additional pole for the birds. But it takes time, employees, and money – something the companies either don’t have or don’t want to use. So when you see a power company that actually helps the ospreys, thank them! Poole is trying to find ways to get the power companies on board. In Florida, a lot of ospreys are using cell towers. So far, there has not been a problem. Of those 8-10,000 pairs in the Chesapeake Bay region, 20-30% use channel markers. The Coast Guard needs an award, according to Poole, because they allow the birds to have their nests there as long as they do not interfere with the markers. Some people put up very short poles with predator guards in salt marshes. It was pointed out that salt marshes might be a good place to try and locate some of the birds. In Finland, there are very few suitable trees for the ospreys, so the Finns cut off the top of the conifer trees and put up human-made platforms for them. It is brilliant. This could be done for the eagles and ospreys in various parts of North America, too. In the UK, we know that artificial platforms are being built, which is also happening in France.

Restoring Osprey Populations: Poole calls Ospreys “the stay-at-home birds”. Most of the time they stay within a region around the nest where they fledged. We know that this is especially true for the males. But this behaviour causes issues with overpopulation, especially where there is a lack of fish, bad storms, etc. So what do you do? You try to relocate some of the population to places without food and birds. The Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation is well known in England for translocating ospreys to places like Italy, Spain, and the UK. Poole mentioned that Massachusetts ospreys are now being flown to Illinois to try and get them to populate along the Mississippi Flyway. If you move ospreys where you want them, you must provide them with nesting platforms. This is imperative. Switzerland is currently trying to reintroduce the raptors. They have released 50 young in the last five years. Starting a breeding population in a new area takes at least a decade.

There was a slight move off topic before looking at streaming cams but it was an important one – one of the most important in my mind. That is getting people knowledgeable about the history, the persecution of ospreys, their behaviour, what makes me different from other birds, etc. Poole noted that various places have set up visitor centres where people can watch the ospreys on a monitor or at hides. One is Loch Garten in Scotland, which had 2 million visitors look at their birds. These visitors paid to see the raptors. In Finland, the visitor centre, which is quite small compared to Loch Garten, had enough visitors that it paid for all of the Osprey research. One way to create awareness is through education. Tim Mackrill was not mentioned, but he has set up the Osprey Leadership Foundation and, like Sacha Dench and The Flight of the Osprey, they have forged links between individuals in the UK and West Africa. It is fundamental to have the youngsters in both countries (their parents and teachers) appreciate the birds they share. Poole also noted that some places have fairs and events and there are osprey mascots to encourage interest.

The last topic was streaming cams, and I felt that while quite knowledgeable, Poole knew less about the current number of streaming cams and the amount of research that is going on using them. Perhaps I am wrong. He suggested that one way to understand the ‘fish problem’ was to monitor the fish species brought to a nest, the number, how those fish were divided up in terms of feeding the little ospreys, etc. ——– I sighed because I knew that so many of you have counted the fish, the bites, have cried, pulled your hair out, etc at many of the nests including Achieva and Patchogue – just two examples from 2023. Citizen scientists are doing it every day. Your work – meaning each of you -needs to find a way to channel itself to the researchers who need more time, the funds, or the staff to monitor enough nests. I know this from personal experience. Various other species have individuals watching, and we now have observation boards set up at several Osprey cam sites thanks to Bart Molenaar. I can think of three he has established – Rutland Manton Bay, Seaside, and Port Lincoln. Every aspect of the life of the nest was recorded through observations and the chat. It’s a really valuable archive.

At Loch of the Lowes, Blue NC0 is eating well and working on her nest. She awaits the arrival of Laddie, her mate (LM12).

At Achieva Credit Union’s osprey platform in St Petersburg, Florida, Jack brought in a nice fish and Diane gently fed the wee babe often. Jack was also kept busy being security guard for the nest.

Dad was so excited. ‘MP’ observed Dad listening and walking around Diane. Part of the shell was out from under Mum, but the little one was still partially in the shell, with Mum being very secretive. You could tell Dad was quite happy to have a wee babe in that nest.

Mary Kerr put in some interesting notes about Maya and Blue 33 on FB today. As you know, Maya arrived a couple of days ago with Blue 33 returning Wednesday on Rutland’s Manton Bay platform. On Thursday, Blue 25 came to the nest and Maya sent her packing.

Blue 25 does cause some mischief. However, Geemeff reminds me that she is the mother of Blue 4K, the subject of Simon Curtis’s book, If you build it, he will come, the story of waiting 200 years to have ospreys at Belvoir.

First Osprey sighting at Forsythe! Thanks, ‘H’,

Was there an Osprey at Patchogue? There was!!!!!!!! They have a lot of work to do but thankfully much of the harmful debris is ‘under’ the nest.

It is extremely difficult to watch the West End nest of Thunder and Akecheta today because he wind was really whipping it about. The majority of the time I could only see two heads getting fed. That said right after 1106 you can see the blur of the third and it appears to have eaten.

That 1106 feeding.

Others.

There is plenty of food and Thunder and Akecheta are experienced adults.

Dixie and Mason are scooting all over the Superbeaks nest. It won’t be long til they are walking on those big clown feet.

The kids at Johnson City are both eating well. Boone has lots of fish in the nest and Jolene is a great Mum to these two.

Leaper and Jersey both had crops at Duke Farms today. At one point, Leaper was so full she looked like she would burst!

Swampy and Blaze are huge compared to these bobbleheads.

At Captiva, Cal flew off the nest on Wednesday. He flew around the area constantly observed by Clive and Connie. Today, he flew back to his natal nest. Well done, Cal!

Nothing like a lot of flying to make you want to go home to your bed and sleep duckling style.

Ron brought R6 a fish in the early afternoon. So cute. R6 had been working his wings Thursday morning. Not ready for fledge yet and still working on the self-feeding. No hurry, R6.

A lot of people thought E23 had fledged but he was up above the camera on Thursday. He could fly anytime!

Caught Gabby at the NE Florida nest today. She’s a beauty. We adore her and I am so glad that her and Beau are so bonded. Next year!

Chase and Cholyn’s only egg at Two Harbours was laid on February 22nd, making itay. In a fortnight, we should be expecting a pip/hatch on March 28th. 22 days old todMark your calendars.

Liberty and Guardian had three eggs. One was broken in the nest and it is unknown which of the three was lost. Those eggs were laid on Feb 15, 18, and 21. That would make them: Egg #1, 29 days, #2 26 days, and #3 would be 23 days old. We have at least a week to find out if egg #1 is alright.

It is now officially confirmed that Frederick and Betsy are back at the Carova Beach, North Carolina Outerbanks Osprey platform. — Don’t get me started. Look at those plastic carrier bags on the nest and around the foot of one of the adults!

I thought Annie might be ready to lay her first egg today. She was napping in the scrape when Archie, Daddy Door-Dash, came in with dinner.

There are currently three Peregrine Falcon eggs at the scrape in Eden, Netherlands. The third was laid on the 13th of March.

Waiting for Duke and Daisy to return to Barnegat Light in New Jersey. The couple lost 2 out of 3 chicks to starvation/siblicide during the Nor’easter of June 2023 and it was feared, for some time, that Duke might have died also. His return some weeks later was such a great relief for everyone.

Lucy was on the Lake Murray platform on Thursday.

Did Spirit visit her natal nest at Big Bear on Thursday? Cali Condor thinks it could have been her.

I am so looking forward to the Cornell RTH season. Big Red and Arthur were both checking and tweaking the nest and spending time on the light stand. Eggs could come any time.

Thank you so much for being with me today. Remember to go outside and smell spring! It will lift your spirits more than you ever will know. Take care. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, presentations, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘H, J, MP’, Alan Poole, Scottish Wildlife Trust (LOTL), Achieva Credit Union, Mary Kerr, LRWT, Forsythe Osprey Cam, PSEG, IWS/Explore.org, Superbeaks, Johnson City-ETSU, Duke Farms, Eagle Country, Window to Wildlife, WRDC, SW Florida Eagle Cam, NEFL-AEF, FORE, Carova Beach Osprey Cam, SK Hideaways, EDE Peregrine Falcon Cam, Lake Murray Ospreys, and Cali Condor.

Dual feeding at SW Florida, intruder lands on Gabby’s nest…Thursday in Bird World

18 January 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

It continues to warm up a bit on the Canadian Prairies. Right now – it is 1617 Wednesday afternoon – it is -17 C. But hang on. In one week it is forecast to be +4 C. Yes, you don’t your eyes checked, PLUS 4. Wow. That is going to be a great day to spend out at the nature centre. Soggy but wonderful. The animals will be delighted.

‘The Boyfriend’ survived the cold nicely and was staring at the garden door, waiting for his delivery of wet food this afternoon. If I do not respond, he now knocks. He is so bold and is so curious about the house but runs the minute I open the door or come near.

Missey was watching from her perch on the cat tree.

Calico is a regular alarm clock. 0837 on the dot for several days now. Then she just wants cuddles, not food. The others are still asleep! It is our special time together before the day begins.

Baby Hope at a weird angle. She still has her very bushy tail. That ‘look’ is almost hypnotic.

For some ‘trouble’ is their middle name, but for Hugo Yugo it is their FIRST name! I have tried to post videos of the play fights between Hugo Yugo and all the other three girls, but this system does not seem to want to accept them so, imagine, if you will, the little kitten pulling off the blankets and jumping on Hope this evening in a wild frenzy.

Hope gets away and Hugo Yugo looks up and is ready to pounce on the sofa.

Baby Hope resting by the twinkle tree. They will all get a second, third, and fourth wind…chasing, running, pulling ornaments off the tree. The blankets will be everywhere along with the toys! My goodness, the energy and the fun these little ones have.

And then there was this…Hugo Yugo! Hugo Yugo kneading Missey hoping to make milk. Goodness. And Missey just took it all in stride.

It is just wonderful to see the garden animals and know that they did not succumb to the cold. Both Blue Jays are here getting peanuts along with Mr Crow.

The Black Capped Chickadees were eating the Black Oil Seed as well as the suet cylinders today.

Dyson ran too fast but I did get to photograph one of the kits at the feeder.

Oh, what a morning Wednesday was – Clive and Connie brought in five fish in three hours to the relief of everyone that had worried about their darling eaglets. What a power couple! So very happy that lots of fish got on that nest. Hopefully they can pile them up like Louis did at the E1 nest for a few years as there is a forecast of another bad weather system heading their way. Both C10 and C11 went to bed with big crops!

Jack is at the Captiva Osprey nest, but Ruby has been missing since her last visit on the 11th of January. That was only six days ago but Jack continues to call for her. I hope she is just having a spa time. Keep your fingers crossed.

There is no pip at the time of this writing for the second egg for Ron and Rita at the WRDC. It is 39 days old today and is, of course, clearly in the hatch window. No need to get too worried but if it were to go to 41, well…and I would feel sorry for that little eaglet because R6 will be ‘much bigger’. R6 might get to join the ‘only eaglet’ club of E23!

What a difference from this fuzzy little chick to C10 and C11, who have almost lost their Mohawks completely.

Snug and warm under Mamma Rose.

As far as I know, there is no pip at Berry College.

Looking at the eggs, is that nesting material? or the beginning of a pip?

Beau has new injuries to his feet. He has been busy all day trying to keep intruders away from Gabby, their egg, and the nest. One intruder landed on the nest tree and Gabby got rid of him. The time was 1552.

Unidentified intruder on branch while Gabby is calling out from the nest – it jumped in the nest and Gabby was calling and calling. It was a frightening moment for sure.

Beau is back on guard at the nest but has injured feet.

Didn’t see any eagles at the ND-LEEF nest in South Bend, Indiana – just their prints from earlier in the snow.

There is some fresh nesting material at Duke Farms, but no egg yet.

At Decorah North, DNF was in the trees while a beautiful red squirrel visited the nest tree and Canada Geese frolicked in the open water of the creek.

All is well at SW Florida. E23 continues to thrive and F23 has proven herself to be a great first time Mum.

E23 is never going to go hungry. M15 flew in with ‘something’ – did he get it at the Publix dumpster? (the butcher puts out food for M15). A dual feeding takes place around 1744 – E23 already had a big crop.

M15 reminds me of many of the male ospreys in the UK who love to feed their chicks and are great providers.

Here is the video of that dual feeding.

Jackie and Shadow were both at Big Bear today – gosh that nest has a gorgeous view.

At Port Lincoln, it seems that Giliath has found a place for fish – free fish? Smart little fledgling. Brad will be happy to eat all the fish brought to the nest. LOL.

So far, three fish deliveries. The 0637 was grabbed by Gil while the 0720 and the 0854 went to Brad. Dad came in with deliveries 1 and 3 and Mum brought in a partial fish in slot 2.

Everyone seems to enjoy spending time on the old barge.

It’s the first Royal Albatross hatch of the year (not the Royal Cam chick). Congratulations, first-time parents GBL and BYW!

There are so many wildlife cameras. This one is the BBC Winterwatch one. How many birds can you ID?

Big Red and Arthur will begin work on their nest with regular visits starting in February. There is major construction going on within a close proximity – we will have to wait and see how this impacts the breeding season.

Do you adore fuzzy little raptor or bird babies? Check out the winners of the Audubon photo awards!

https://www.audubon.org/news/cuddle-these-ridiculously-cute-baby-bird-photos?ms=digital-eng-email-ea-newsletter-engagement_20240117_wingspan_&utm_source=ea&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=engagement_20240117_wingspan&utm_content=

Millions of Bramblings gather in Switzerland. Can you imagine what a sight that was?!

Brambling-mega-flock-wows-crowds-in-Switzerland-BirdGuides Download

Thank you so much for being with me today. Please take care. I look forward to having you with us again!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ’A, H, J’, Window to Wildlife, WRDC, Berry College Eagle Cam, NEFL-AEF, ND-LEEF Duke Farms, Raptor Resource Project, SW Florida Eagle Cam, SK Hideaways, FOBBV, PLO, BBC, Cornell RTH Cam, Audubon, Sharon Dunne, and BirdGuides.

Saturday in Bird World

13 January 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

Hugo Yugo and I are in the conservatory. She is tearing up a napkin – no one told her she isn’t a budgie! The male Downy is at the suet cylinder, Dyson is getting peanuts out of the small table feeder, and about 50 sparrows of various types are going after Black oil seed. It is -21 C. The sky is a light baby blue – some haze – and the sun is beginning to shine. I am so grateful that the booster on the furnace vent and the little space heater are doing their jobs today so that we can stay out in this wonderful place. Mr Crow has been here and returned just now to get some peanuts. Life is good.

As of this morning, egg #1 at WRDC is 38 days old. We are on pip/hatch watch at both WRDC and Berry College.

Missey is watching a Crow getting ready to fly down for peanuts. Hugo Yugo wants to get up and catch a glimpse!

Hugo Yugo is like a miniature tiger. She is fearless and loves to play fight with Hope. Typically, Hugo Yugo will attack by running about 3 metres and leaping on Hope’s back. Hope really enjoyed the play and is ‘gentle’ with Hugo Yugo.

I am reminded that we have the power over how our day will go simply by waking up and finding the beauty in the ‘world’ around us. For me, it is the girls and the garden animals. I continually say that I cannot image life without them. Do you have a place to put out a water bowl for the birds? Or a feeder? I promise you that the single act of providing for the animals will bring you much happiness. (LOL. For me, the wildlife is so much better than playing pickleball).

Blue Jays carefully select their peanuts trying them out to make sure they get the heaviest one. This is the Baby from the summer and he will fly over to a branch where he will use the branch to break the shell of the nut.

Now s/he is going to try their luck with the pile of peanuts on the big tray feeder.

They used the side of the feeder to break open the shell this time.

The rain did come to The Hamlet. Gabby and Beau taking turns incubating their only surviving egg (the first was buried by Beau and could not be retrieved by either eagle from the nest).

Beau came in to give Gabby a break. Oh, I am so hoping this egg is viable. That is a 180 degree turn for me. They are working together now. Let’s hope.

Nothing seems to be happening with the eggs at the WRDC as of noon Friday.

Neither Ron nor Rose are giving anything away.

We are on pip and hatch watch for Berry College, too. Gosh, the waiting for Berry and the WRDC nest are getting folks weary….

No rain for Abby and Blazer at Eagle Country.

Rabbit for breakfast for E23 at the SW Florida nest of M15 and F23.

SK Hideaways caught it -. Oh, poor F23.

As Saturday night’s storm approached the nest of M15 and F23, both were on the nest. Later, F23 really showed that she can be a huge mombrella.

C11 really chowed down on that fish that came to the nest around 10:36 on Friday. It was wonderful seeing that little eaglet eating well. Both had hilariously big crops!

Gracie Shepherd caught Chase at the Two Harbours Outlook on Friday.

Lady was doing some ‘teaching’ for SE31 on Saturday in Australia.

At Port Lincoln, Dad brought in a small fish and Mum took it. Brad and Gil have not had any fish and it is early afternoon. The water is a little choppy – look at the white caps behind the nest. I wonder, too, when Mum and Dad will be hoping these two try their luck at fishing.

Today I received a special edition of BirdLife International, the Jan-March 2024 issue, that examines the changes in the Red List of Birds. One of the species that has been ‘downlisted’ to Near Threatened from Threatened status.

Animalia describes the Lesser Adjutant: ”A large stork with an upright stance, a bare head and neck without a pendant pouch, it has a length of 87–93 cm (34–37 in) (outstretched from bill-to-tail measurement), weighs from 4 to 5.71 kg (8.8 to 12.6 lb) and stands about 110–120 cm (43–47 in) tall. The only confusable species is the greater adjutant, but this species is generally smaller and has a straight upper bill edge (culmen), measuring 25.8–30.8 cm (10.2–12.1 in) in length, with a paler base and appears slightly trimmer and less hunch-backed. The skullcap is paler and the upper plumage is uniformly dark, appearing almost all black. The nearly naked head and neck have a few scattered hair-like feathers. The upper shank or tibia is grey rather than pink, the tarsus measures 22.5–26.8 cm (8.9–10.6 in). The belly and undertail are white. Juveniles are a duller version of the adult but have more feathers on the nape. During the breeding season, the face is reddish and the neck is orange. The larger median wing coverts are tipped with copper spots and the inner secondary coverts and tertials have narrow white edging. The wing chord measures 57.5–66 cm (22.6–26.0 in) in length. Like others in the genus, they retract their necks in flight. In flight, the folded neck can appear like the pouch of the greater adjutant. Males and females appear similar in plumage but males tend to be larger and heavier billed.”

The success in protecting the Lesser Adjutant and its habitat and its downgrading is due to “Community efforts have been key to raising awareness and conserving these attractive birds, their nesting sites and habitats. While numbers are still declining in several locations, the rate of the population’s decrease on a global scale is estimated to be slowing” according to Birdlife (29).

“Lesser Adjutant (Leptoptilos javanicus)” by Koshyk is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

One species that has sadly been uplifted is the Palm Cockatoo. Cockatoos make their nests in the holes of old trees – just like my local squirrels and woodpeckers. Those trees are being cut down at a tremendous rate for logging. At the same time fires are also destroying habitat while trapping illegally for the international pet trade is another threat.

Animalia describes our bird, “The Palm cockatoo (Probosciger aterrimus) is a large parrot of the cockatoo family native to New Guinea, Aru Islands, and Cape York Peninsula. “Palm cockatoo” has been designated the official name by the International Ornithological Committee (IOC). The species was named the “Goliath Aratoo” in Wood’s Natural History (1862). It is also sometimes given the misnomer “black macaw” in aviculture although the macaws are unrelated New World parrots.” ”The Palm cockatoo is a black or smoky-gray parrot from the cockatoo family. It has a distinctive appearance, having a large crest and one of the biggest beaks of any parrot, a beak unusual in itself, as the upper and lower mandibles do not meet along much of the length, which allows the bird’s tongue to hold a nut in place against its top mandible while its lower mandible does the work to open it. Between the eyes and the beak, there is a patch of bare skin, red in color. There is also a distinctive red patch on the cheek that changes color if the bird is excited or alarmed. In young birds, their underfeathers are lined with pale yellow, and in birds under the age of 18 months, the tip of the beak and the ring around the eye are white.”

“Palm Cockatoo Nimbokrang” by Garima Bhatia is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

You know about the parakeets in London, right?

Country-diary-Parakeets-on-my-feeder-while-Im-on-the-fence-Birds-The-Guardian Download

Thank you so much for being with me today. Take care. See you soon!

Subscribing is free. You can unsubscribe anytime!

Thank you to the following for their notes, articles, videos, posts, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: NEFL-AEF, Carol Shores Rifkin, Window to Wildlife, Eagle Country, Berry College Eagle Cam, SW Florida Eagle Cam, SK Hideaways, Gracie Shepherd, Chang-le Dong, PLO, Bart M, BirdLife International, Animalia, Openverse, and The Guardian.

Friday in Bird World

12 January 2024

Good Morning,

We had an ‘Alberta Clipper’ hit southern Manitoba overnight on Wednesday, and when we woke up Thursday morning, all of the main roads surrounding the city were closed. They reopened at 0845, but many city streets were blocked. There is not a vehicle moving where I live. It is wonderfully quiet. What was different, also, was the traffic at the bird feeders. The Crows arrived – two of them – for peanuts. They were joined by five woodpeckers, 4 Chickadees, and 2 Blue Jays, the usual cohort of squirrels and sparrows.

I have been talking about the Crows and how I noticed that they have not been around the neighbourhood. It was worrisome. The other day, I saw one at the corner waiting for a neighbour to put out food. They were not coming to the garden. Today they are here. Oh, tears. Joyful tears.

Our City has marked diseased trees and sadly, their nesting trees are due for cutting. We are all hoping that they will find another tree. These trees were planted in 1902. They are huge and made a beautiful canopy once the leaves were fully out in the spring. It is so sad to see them needing to be taken down. There are others being planted in their place but it will be a decade or more before they are even a decent height, never mind 60 for 70 feet in height.

The Blue Jay in profile is the baby that slept with the ornamental birds in the garden last summer. It is here with its dad, Junior. These seem to be the only two Blue Jays still in the neighbourhood that did not migrate (or die).

The male Downy. Notice the red patch at the back of the head near the nape.

This is the male Hairy Woodpecker.

One of Dyson’s kits was enjoying peanuts, too!

It is one of the female Downy Woodpeckers eating the suet on the big table feeder.

As a result of the activity in the garden, I spent much time in the conservatory watching rather than on the computer – something that I ask all of you to do! It was so nice. There is no hatch news so it is simply the status quo so far.

Iowa got some snow, too, and the eagles at Decorah North were doing a bit of cleaning up.

The Hatchery Eagles stayed in the trees.

Sunny Florida on Thursday. At the nest of Gabby and Beau, Beau is really coming into adulthood. He is helping Gabby and has incubated twice on Thursday. As the hatch approaches, let us all send positive messages that this egg is viable and that Beau begins to bring prey to Gabby and their chick.

We do not ever have to worry about E23 not getting enough prey!

E23 tried to yank that rabbit out of the nesting material to eat it today. Our little eaglet is getting pin feathers and will soon have some dandelions as the thermal down comes in. You can also now see the ear.

Rose is not giving any hints at the WRDC nest on Thursday.

At Captiva, C10 and C11 are sleeping with the fishes.

Shadow brought in the first fish of this season on Wednesday!

Heavy rains caused flooding at the Duke Farms Bald Eagle nest on Wednesday.

SE31 continues to put smiles on our faces.

Changeover at the Royal Albatross Colony. Everything is OK.

Marri’s return to the nest and – some memories thanks to SK Hideaways.

In California, Monty and Hartley want one another’s breakfast!

The Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey in Maitland – one of our favourite wildlife rehabilitation centres – released its 700th eagle into the wild! This is where Bailey, the Osprey, is an ambassador and where Connick was cared for before going off to the Smithsonian as an Ambassador.

Audubon-Center-for-Birds-of-Prey-Celebrates-700-Eagle-Release-Milestone-Audubon-Florida Download

Why is the Jackdaw the most beloved Corvid in the UK?

Birdwatch-why-the-jackdaw-is-Britains-most-endearing-crow-Birdwatching-The-Guardian Download

Why is the population of Winter Finches in decline? Audubon gives us some answers.

A-Beloved-Winter-Finch-Is-In-Decline—and-Scientists-Want-to-Know-Why-Audubon Download

You are looking at the only breeding pair of Short-tailed Albatross at the Midway Atoll and they are feeding a chick. They also breed on Mukojima, Ogasawara Islands, Japan.

Pesky intelligent Kakapo do not like staying in their enclosure.

New comes about one of the Hancock Eagles from British Columbia.

Thank you so much for being with me today. We are anxiously awaiting a pip or hatch at both the WRDC and Berry College. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to compose my blog today: ’A, H, J’, Raptor Research Project, NEFL-AEF, Jan Lester, SW Florida Eagle Cam, WRDC, FOBBV, Duke Farms, Window to Wildlife, Eagle Cam, SK Hideaways, Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey, The Guardian, Audubon, Friends of Midway Atoll, Robyne Hocking, and Hancock Wildlife Foundation.

Jack blown off nest…Wednesday in Bird World

10 January 2024

Good Morning,

Oh, that -21 C was a bit brisk yesterday! It was still cold, -15 on Tuesday, but it didn’t seem quite so bitter. The Blue Jays and the Woodpeckers were out feeding alongside the squirrels and the sparrows. It is always reassuring to see them!

The male and female Downy Woodpeckers come and go to the feeder. They are enjoying that hunk of suet. This is the female. I could see the red feathers at the nape of her neck. Looks like a smudge in the image but you can see it, too.

‘J’ told me that they do not have Blue Jays in Germany. She loves them and I am thrilled that she ‘met’ these amazing Corvids through this blog. ’J’ found a video of a Blue Jay shovelling snow. I have seen the ones in the garden do this same manoeuvre to get to seed.

‘The Boyfriend’ was outside. Seriously. How could you not feed this lovable guy?

Missey was staring at him from the Conservatory table.

An affectionate moment between Missey and Hugo Yugo.

Another adorable face. Yes, she has me wrapped around her tiny, tiny paw.

Calico has signalled it is story time and Baby Hope is getting ready to jump up!

Calico is ready to hear about Pale Male.

If you do not know who Pale Male was, then get your detective hat on! You should be able to find the documentary for free. Thelegendofpalemale.net

Indeed, this is what the two Blue Jays have had to do for a few days in southern Manitoba.

In the UK, Swans ring bells for food!

C10 does seem to get the bulk of the food at the Captiva nest despite not being aggressive (lately) to C11. Regardless, though, both eaglets appear to be doing extremely well.

‘A’ sent in some observations of Captiva – warning some beaking discussion: “CE10 had a large breakfast this morning while little CE11 didn’t manage to get up to the table for quite some time, and when he did, he was ignored by Clive, who at that stage stopped feeding the kids and ate a large meal himself!! However, interestingly, CE11, who at that stage had prime position, CE10 having gone into a food coma, began to attempt to self-feed on the side of the fish Clive was eating. The fish had not been unzipped along that side, so CE11 had to peck through the skin, but there was a distinct dent in the side of the fish by the time he finished (he was quite persistent, continuing to attempt to self-feed for a minute or two, and getting some flakes of fish from the exercise, so it was an excellent first effort – he may need it, as ever since the slightly hungry day three days ago, CE10 has been a little more aggressive in ensuring first position at the feedings and CE11 has become a little less confident. Eventually, though, he generally gets fed, as this nest sees a large number of speckled trout thanks to Clive (he has already brought in a nice very big trout this morning, and of course there were nestovers there already). CE11 did get fed at the second feeding, shortly after 8am, and I’m sure will get plenty to eat later on as well. CE10 woke up with a large crop, which was refilled at the first feeding. CE11 had one too, but crop dropped fairly early on, waiting for some breakfast that didn’t come until the second feeding, and he could have eaten a fair bit more there as well. CE11 does start a lot of the bonking – it is worth noting, though, that CE11 has some avian form of restless legs syndrome. Since the earliest age, little CE11 has been flapping his tiny wings in his sleep. And now, for some reason, CE10 has started objecting to being woken up by CE11’s dreams of flying. Several recent bonking episodes have been started this way, with poor little CE11 getting woken from sleep by an attacking CE10, who has been annoyed by a random wing slap in CE11’s sleep. In one such episode early this morning, CE10 had hold of the front of CE11’s throat and was really twisting and tugging at it. I was quite concerned about the potential damage, given that it was the front of the neck rather than the scruff that was being twisted by a pretty sharp, vicious-looking beak, albeit a relatively small one.”

M15 and F23 prepared for the upcoming storm. Squirrel and fish on the nest to keep E23 well fed and they will hunker down if it gets bad.

There was a beautiful and tender time at the SW Florida nest when M15 joined F23 in feeding their only eaglet, E23.

Here it comes.

I am continuing to track the storm that is hitting Superbeaks harder than at Fort Myers. There is some concern that Muhlady has gone into labour and is laying the first egg of their second clutch. Here is the weather map. It is 1855 in Florida.

This is at Superbeaks.

Muhlady flew off the nest around 17:43.

The wind is blowing hard up at The Hamlet with Gabby incubating as the rain starts. You can hear the howling wind.

Later. The winds have picked up and Gabby is still protecting that egg. The nest tree is really starting to sway.

This is Fort Myers at the same time. It is windy there, too, but the rain has not come. It will be there soon enough but it looks like the bulk of the storm hit the central and NE areas of Florida.

Still rather quiet a few hours later for F23 and E23 in the nest at Ft Myers.

This is Abby at Eagle Country at the same time. The cam focused on the nest tree shows that rain is starting to fall but it does not appear to be too windy yet.

Abby hunkered down but things are a little quieter at Eagle Country.

The winds were blowing hard in the morning at the Achieva Osprey Nest. Jack and Diane had even lined the egg cup with bark and then…the strong winds blew Jack and part of the nest off! Those winds had calmed by evening. There were no chicks and no eggs and – well, that is sure a relief.

Thanks B. Snyder for capturing that horrific moment.

Cali Condor Jackie and Shadow at the nest. Oh, don’t we love the couple. I really hope they get to raise an eaglet or two this year.

Rotating eagles in the Kisatchie National Forest E1 nest.

At Port Lincoln, both Brad and Gil have had some fish before noon. The supplementary fish yesterday appears not to have been the one on the nest but one that got dropped in the water from the information on the obs board. My error. Apologies. Thanks ‘VS’.

‘A’ sends the report on SE31: ”January 10: No parents were seen on the river early when our watcher was there shortly after 7am. At 8am, SE31 appeared, flying from behind the island to move to River Roost. She may have been eating earlier – hopefully – though not seen. In the attached photo from early in the morning, she is possibly clutching something. At around 2pm, one adult was seen near Goat Island. No more day reports. In the late afternoon, at 5:10pm, one adult was reported at Burns Bay, honking away. The other may possibly have been there as well, and was confirmed shortly after. Then, at 5:30pm, SE31 was seen on the island.”

My addition: Just look at this magnificent sea eagle!

“At Orange, Marri was seen and heard today and Diamond was in and out of the scrape a lot as usual. Time stamps for the day are as follows: BONDING 06.06.36 X arrives for brief bonding RECAP 07.23.46, 15.42.00-15.42.15 Marri heard; Diamond was watching 14:41:16 fly down, 14:41:39 fly up & short scream, 14:49:03 another fly up & short scream; Marri involved?; 14.49.03 (?) Marri fly up; Marri screaming outside until 15:42:19; 17:37:50 Marri heard in the distance, then D flies out. Diamond was most recently back in the scrape around 20:35:28 and left at 20:42.” Thanks, A.

Humans. What can we say? Why would anyone do this?

We are getting closer and closer to the hatch of the Royal cam chick/s. This is what you can expect in the coming days.

There is a book coming out that I am very interested in because I spent much time at Belvoir when I lived in the UK. Simon Curtin has written, If You Build It, He Will Come – about the ospreys return to Belvoir after 200 years. Geemeff says, “In particular, the story of Blue4K, fledged at Rutland in 2013, who found a mate and bred for the first time in 2022 at the late age of nine years old. He was sat-tagged in 2018, and followed by Sacha Dench on the Flight of the Osprey expedition and successfully sighted in his winter home in Dobire, Guinea. The author adds “all my profits from the book will be donated to conservation charities so anything you can do to spread the word will help sell more copies when it is published on 27th February, and raise more money for good works.“ More to come when it is released.

Thank you so much for being with me today. Take care everyone. Stay safe. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, videos, posts, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ’A, Geemeff, H, J’, SPO, Our Blue Planet, Window to Wildlife, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Lady Hawk, Weather Tracker, Superbeaks, NEFL-AEF, Eagle Country, Achieva Credit Union, B Snyder, FOBBV Cam, Cali Condor, Tonya Irwin, PLO, Bart M, A Place Called Hope, Kakapo Recovery, Ventana Wildlife Society, Simon Curtin, Sea Eagle Cam, and Holly Parsons.

Tuesday in Bird World

9 January 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

It is -21C on the Canadian Prairies. The cold weather has arrived. It was a good day to wake up to hot coffee and warm cardamon rolls out of the oven. LOL. The girls didn’t care! They wanted breakfast and story time before I started my day. Calico now ‘walks’ me out to the conservatory sofa to read. It is too funny. The cats have me fully trained.

As you know, if you have read my blog over the summer of 2023, a large family of Crows lives in my neighbourhood. They bring their fledglings to the garden to get peanuts and for the bird bath, where they dunk their food and have baths. The numbers have decreased since the end of autumn, and I am worried about them. Today, I was happy, but simultaneously sad, to see a single crow at the corner waiting for another person who feeds birds. I know she specifically feeds the crows, but where are the others?

I have also been reading more about Crows, and if you are interested in the intelligence level of the members of the Corvid family include Crows, Ravens, Magpies, and Jays, I have a book for you! It is called Bird Brains, and it is by Candace Savage. This is the latest edition from 2018.

I was impressed by the writing that drew me in and made the new findings on this amazing species’ intelligence level relatable. The photographs are top-notch. (Sorry about the glare from the light)

The introduction included mention of anthropomorphism. Put simply it is ascribing human traits to animals. if, however, you study the behaviour of animals, the apologies of individuals such as many on chat for doing just that will more than irk you.

Savage discusses the ‘ascription of meaningful intelligence to nonhuman creatures’ as problematic. She notes that at a point, scientists and researchers into behaviourist psychology who looked into memory, insights and thoughts stopped looking at nonhumans. Some had been tricked, and she noted that no one wanted to be embarrassed. It paused the subject of knowledge and intelligence…She notes that anyone who dared to state that nonhumans were intelligent was accused of the dreaded anthropomorphism. Savage’s entire book bunks the notion of ‘dumb animals’, stating that humans ‘have a lot invested in keeping animals dumb’ (19). Think about it – humans can treat animals any way they want if they believe they do not feel pain, have feelings, share emotions, solve problems, etc. Savage points to the research of many, including Irene Pepperberg from the University of Arizona, who concludes that Corvids are superbly intelligent, capable of identifying items by name, able to distinguish similarities and differences in objects, as well as ‘capable of acquiring complex vocal and nonvocal behaviours that many scientists believe are co-or prerequisites for referential communications’. Pepperberg, in her research, discovered that Corvids have the same cognitive capacities as primates. Indeed, their superior powers might be higher than primates (18).

If you are interested in avian behaviour and love the Corvid family or want to learn more about the intelligence of our feathered friends, this is an excellent book. It is well-written, wonderfully illustrated, and at a good price point.

One of my favourite Corvids, the baby Blue Jay from the summer, came to visit the feeder on Monday. Delighted to see it!

The girls are doing great. The plumbers were here again today – they will be finishing up tomorrow – and I could not ask for better behaviour. They all stayed out of the way of any danger!

Missey has a new sleeping spot. It is on top of one of the tallest cabinets – almost touching the ceiling – next to a carved cat on a skateboard that my late friend, Charlie Scott, made. Missey is very smart. What a safe place and out of the way of Calico. They do not always get along. I would say they tolerate one another.

Hugo Yugo and Calico slept on the cat tree together, ignoring the workers who dumped the vanity behind them piled with anything and everything.

I was so delighted when ‘AM’ sent me some beautiful images they had taken of Blake Kites near their home in Japan.

Nature Japan gives us some information on one of the country’s most beautiful raptors: ”The Black Kite or “Tobi” トビ as it is known in Japanese is a common sight in the skies throughout Japan. This raptor is thought to be the world’s most abundant bird of prey. Its numbers are healthy and is under no threat.

This bird can be mainly found in Eurasia, Australasia, Oceania and is a year-round resident here in Japan. You can see this powerful looking bird often soaring in the thermals high above coastal areas, rivers and lakes. I’ve also seen them in farming areas throughout the Kansai region of Japan. They are very graceful flyers that soar with ease and turn with precision.

Male and female Black Kites look very similar and are very opportunistic hunters. They prey upon fish, rodents, and other birds. They are also known to scavenge which is one of the reasons they are so successful a species. I have watched them dive towards the ocean plucking fish from the water and I have also seen them dive-bomb people at highway rest stops trying to steal their rice balls and bento box lunches.” Their only predator is the Eurasian Eagle-owl. “This powerful owl can easily pick off even adult Black Kites and can sometimes be found in northern parts of Hokkaido (common throughout Europe and other parts of Asia).”

Wilde Nature gives us the size variations for these birds of prey: “The Black-eared Kite is a medium-sized bird of prey, measuring about 45–55 centimetres in length with a wingspan of up to 150 centimetres. The distinguishing feature of this subspecies is the black patch of feathers on the sides of the head, located behind the eyes, which gives it its name. Its eyes are dark brown; its bill is short and hooked. The outer wing feathers are black, with dark crossbars and a mottled base. The underparts are pale brown and become lighter towards the chin. The body feathers have a dark shaft, giving it a striped appearance. The corner of the mouth is yellow, but the bill is black. Male and female birds look the same, but females are slightly longer with a larger wingspan.”

Black-eared Kites are opportunistic hunters and feed on various prey such as small mammals, birds, insects, and reptiles. They are often seen soaring high in the air on thermal updrafts, effortlessly gliding while searching for potential prey on the ground.

Thank you ‘AM’ for allowing us to share these beautiful images of the kites.

Look at this beautiful White-tailed Eagle that visited one of Finland’s Osprey (Selli Island) nests on Monday. Gorgeous.

Connie with C10 and C11 today. Note more dandelions are missing! There are pin feathers coming in along the wing tips.

‘A’ comments on these little eaglets: ”Speaking of having enormous appetites, so does CE10, who is absolutely massive in comparison to baby brother CE11. I am still not entirely sure that CE10 has the temperament of a female, but certainly she has the physical characteristics of one. Little CE11 seems to eat his fill most of the time, but she can eat SO much more. Today, both of them had very big crops mid-afternoon (of course CE10’s was larger), and then Connie came in and CE10 was fed the majority of a good-sized speckled trout! CE11 lifted his head from his afternoon nap and initially decided not to bother, but about 20 minutes later, he eventually got up and made his way to the table, by which stage you might have expected CE10 to have long since fallen into a food coma, but no, she was continuing to eat, so that CE11 still had to wait some time to get perhaps a dozen mouthfuls out of the entire fish. CE11 is definitely getting enough to eat, but CE10 is bottomless. She is making no specific effort to prevent CE11 from eating, and has not really done so at any point in their development. She eats and eats and eats, while CE11 is a confident eater but not a pushy eaglet at the table. Occasionally, when big sibling is asleep, CE11 gets a quiet private feeding, usually from Connie, but the size differential continues to grow between the two eaglets. Fortunately, there has been no real food shortage (except one day where there was an inkling of ‘hungry’ experienced on the nest). The bonking has been minimal throughout (and instigated often by CE11, who has been prepared to look his older sibling in the eye from an early age, despite the inevitable results). “

‘J’ has a reminder: Today is also Connick’s first birthday. Connie and Clive’s 2023 hatch will be the Ambassador at the Smithsonian. Maybe you will be able to travel to see him!

Changing before our eyes. Thanks for the close-ups, cam op.

Faxinating caught the whole fish drop to F23 for her and E23 today – we all cheer when the Dad doesn’t eat the head, but we also cringe when the fish flops everywhere. Not to cause alarm, but these live fish have killed eaglets and Osplets. (more on SW Florida below)

Tonya Irwin reports on the action at the Kistachie National Forest E1 nest that Louis shared with his late mate, Anna.

Not a lot of action at the nest of Beau and Gabby. I really hope Gabby is getting to eat enough. It looks like Beau is busy with the defence of their territory.

All is well with M15, F23, and E23 at the SW Florida Eagle nest after the earlier fish delivery. Dad stopped in before bedtime to feed the cutie pie some fish.

The Great Horned Owls are nesting at the Hilton Head nest it seems.

On their social media page, the Hilton Head Island Land Trust posted a short video of the male bringing prey and being in the nest with the female. You can see the two eggs.

Meanwhile at the nest of Bonnie and Clyde on Farmer Derek’s property in Kansas, it is snowing. No sign of the owls.

Just northeast of Kansas, in Iowa, the snow is coming down in Decorah, home to the Decorah North Bald Eagle family as well as the Hatchery Bald Eagle Family.

Snow was also coming down on the Denton Home Nest.

Baiba caught Blazer going after a squirrel coming up to the Eagle Country nest where he is incubating his and Abby’s eggs.

At Port Lincoln, Gil got himself a really nice fish off the nest. This is not just any fish – this is a delivery by the fish fairy at 0938.

The lads have been fighting for the fish and today Gil was the clear winner until…

Mum came in with a really large fish at 1344. The lads struggled. Gil had a nice crop – come on, Gil. Let Brad eat! Brad was hungry and got that fish and really enjoyed it. Well done, Brad.

‘A’ sends the report for the WBSE: “January 9: Early this morning, just one eagle was spotted at the river, moving between roosts. Just before 9am, SE31 was finally seen soaring high above the wetlands and the river. Then, at 9:15am, she was at River Roost with Lady, both flying back and forth a bit. At 9:20am, SE31 took flight, followed by Lady, up high, circling then off over Homebush Bay. Neither had returned at 10:15am. Just after 12 noon, SE31 was seen at River Roost, but no parents. But then we heard that at 11:06am, she had been seen catching a fish shortly after returning from her flight with Lady. At 4:30pm, one adult was seen at River Roost, and it then flew off to the west. Shortly after, at 5pm, both adults were spotted on the island, then SE31 was seen there as well.”

BirdGuides review of the week for the UK, including some unusual finds.

Review-of-the-Week-2-7-January-2024-BirdGuides Download

Oak Hammock Marsh Interpretative Centre is closed for renovations, but they have some online events for people living in my province. Want to know where to go birding? Check this virtual information session on the 14th of January from 1300-1400.

Virtual-Birding-Hour-Where-to-Find-Birds-in-Manitoba-Oak-Hammock-Marsh Download

Thank you so much for being with me. Please take care everyone. See you soon.

I would like to thank the following who also helped me with my blog today: ’A, AM, J’, Nature Japan, Wilde Nature, Finnish Osprey Foundation, Window to Wildlife, Faxinating, Tonya Irwin, Carol Shores Rifkin, Hilton Head Island Trust, Farmer Derek, Raptor Resource Project and Explore.org, Denton Homes, Baiba, PLO, Bart M, Eagle Cam, Bird Guides, and Oak Hammock Marsh Wetland Centre.

M15 and F23 – their first egg together!…Saturday in Bird World

25 November 2022

Good Morning Everyone,

So it is Superbeaks, Captiva, KNF-E3, and SWFlorida. Now that M15 and F23 have their first egg it might be that there will be a flurry of egg laying. Let’s see!

It was one of those coolish days on the Canadian Prairies – I did not venture much beyond the feeders and doing some much needed clean up around the woodbox and deck. The usual suspects showed up at the feeders including Dyson who spent much time munching away at Black Oil Seed.

It was so good to see Dyson.

One of Dyson’s kits came to the table feeder earlier. So cute.

It is always nice to see Junior. He will probably stay for the entire winter.

The girls are doing fine. Hope has started eating. She was always ravenous so to see her not excited about food bothered me. That said, she had to be eating as I saw her at the litter box so, the assumption is she ate when I was not looking, probably when it was dark. Always wondered what living in a dark place might do to her and Calico…at any rate, she had some White Fish just like the osplets and some roast chicken and all is right with the world. Must admit I shed a couple of tears of joy.

Sleepy head Hope.

And, oh. Do I see the reason that Hope was not tearing up the food dish?

The girls have applied to adopt a little brother. He was the only boy in a litter of seven! He was fostered in a home with children, older cats, and a dog. Fingers crossed. He is a cutie, and there could be many applications for him! (It took a while for us to decide, as Greyish will be the 4th and last addition to the brood. There are so many kittens needing homes….). Will keep you posted!

Now for some nests…

Many are spending their Friday night staring at the female, F23, on the SW Florida Bald Eagle nest.

There it is! I was not going to make the mistake of announcing an egg without seeing it!

M15 sees the egg.

I don’t know about you, but I teared up. After losing Harriet and raising 21 and 22 from the time they were a month old alone – a single dad – it is glorious to see that M15 will get to be a dad again with a new mate. Bravo. F23 is one lucky lady.

Many of the tributes to Samson came in after I posted my Friday blog. He was an amazing eagle and it is nice to remember him, even a day late.

We do know that some eagles just leave the nest without explanation. I often think of Ma Berry. She flew away from the nest with Pa and was seen with her distinctive leg at a lake in Alabama. My old falconer friend tells me all the time that the raptors are much more intelligent and communicate in ways that are ‘higher’ than humans. She says we ‘lost that ability’ – like telepathy. Some believe that Samson is still alive. Some stay until their chicks are old enough to be cared for by a single parent before they fly away. Harriet would have stayed if she could but many understand she waited, knowing she was sick, and left when she knew M15 could keep those kids of theirs alive – and he did. We will never know but if Samson is out there, he had his reasons for leaving. Gabby is moving on with V3.

Eagles were at Decorah North.

After 3 days away, Jolene has returned to Boone at the Johnson City Bald Eagle Nest in Eastern Tennessee.

If only humans were more like the Ospreys. It is estimated that North Americans waste as much as 40% of their food. Shame on us!

Mum did not waste a single flake of fish off the bone of the Trevally. She was up this morning finding anything she could on that bone to feed the osplets.

Still waiting for a breakfast delivery…

Gosh, they are cute! They are getting sooooooo big!

The fish fairy arrives with another huge Trevalley and a Red Mullet. Mum decides to go for the Mullet first!

Mark the date. Looks like banding will be 8 December. Both chicks will get a tracker!

Several people have written to me wondering if the Fish Fairy providing fish would prompt Dad not to go out and bring in the fish for the family. From past seasons and the beginning of this season, I will continue to suggest that the osplets on this nest are alive because of the Fish Fairy. Dad had several seizures on camera. We do not know how many off. It is possible that he is not 100%. His fishing attempts have been well below the norm but I cannot possibly tell you for sure why that is the case.

I have seen no new images from the Sydney Sea Eagles of either juvenile.

Xavier and Diamond were in the scrape. Rain has begun in Orange. I dislike rain so much with the juveniles but, at least, Barru (and maybe Marri) have had a chance to strengthen their flying before the downpours. Hoping to hear something of the fledgling but could not find a word today. Perhaps you have seen something?

And then, one of the fledglings made it to the box!

Xavier was in the nest box calling to the juvenile and flew out after it almost made it in…education falcon style! Captured by Holly Parsons.

When will it stop? Seriously. Isn’t it time to stand up for wildlife and end the aristocratic and royal practice of the beaten grouse hunts? Then we might see an end to the Hen Harriers and Eagles disappearing.

Another-golden-eagle-and-another-hen-harrier-suspiciously-‘disappeared-on-two-Scottish-grouse-moors Download

South Africa wants to save its Penguins.

South-Africa-Is-Taking-a-Huge-Swing-to-Save-Its-Imperiled-Penguins-Hakai-Magazine-1 Download

Thank you so much for being with me today. Please take care. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, video clips, screen captures, streaming cams, and articles that helped me to write my blog today: ‘A, H’, Nancy Babineau, Terri Bayles, NEFL-AEF, Carol Shores Rifkin, Raptor Resource Project, Sara A, PLO, HeidiMc, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Helen Matcham, Holly Parsons, Raptor Persecution UK, and Hakai Magazine.

Barru fledges…Tuesday in Bird World

14 November 2023

Good Morning Everyone!

Monday was another gorgeous day on the Canadian Prairies. We have a light blue sky, little wind, and melting snow. Tomorrow, we are looking at 9 C. Everyone will think summer has returned! There was a brisk wind at the nature centre, but still many people on the trails for a Monday, hoping to spot some wildlife.

On display at our nature centre is a Red River Cart. They were used to carry goods and are symbolic of the Metis people of our region in Canada. In fact, Manitoba is the home of the Metis Nation. “The term Métis refers to a collective of cultures and ethnic identities that resulted from unions between Aboriginal and European people in what is now Canada.”

Today, in the garden, a Blue Jay was at the feeders. It is Junior, the Dad. I have not seen any of the other Blue Jays for some time.

They might have migrated or found their territory away from Dad, but that is generally not true. They tend to stay together as a family just like the Crows. Strange. I have not seen or heard the crows for several days. All of this is a bit concerning. Hoping nothing has happened to them. The Starlings are here pounding away at the hard suet cylinders, and the Sparrows and Juncos are all over the place. Little Red is here, too, along with the Chickadee. No sign of Dyson but two of her kits were at the feeder. The Boyfriend has been here many times today cleaning out the food bowls. He is looking good.

One of Dyson’s kits (two came today) getting ready to climb into the little covered feeder on the deck.

The other one was on one of the solid seed cylinders having a good old lunch.

That high-quality/high protein dry cat food has undoubtedly improved the sheen on his fur. He is a beautiful tuxedo cat.

Hope and Missey have been playing in the house, but Calico seems unwell. She is not her usual self, and I am watching her closely. She did not eat her food at breakfast. This is highly unusual. Calico loves to eat. I hope she has filled up on some really good, high-quality dry food instead. Oh, good news. She ate her lunch, and I caught her refuelling at the hard food dispenser. She is fine! Relief. Little Hope goes for her surgery next week. Thanks to Fixing Feral Felines for all the good work that they do.

The news for Monday/Tuesday was that Marri fledged from the scrape of her parents Diamond and Xavier at 09:38:42. Barru is watching closely.

Here is the video of that amazing first flight – it was a beauty! Looked like she had been flying for over a week. Amazing. So happy.

Heidi Mc caught the fledge as well.

Barru is still in the scrape.

Well, Barru did fledge! A few hours after his sister. 15:36:34. It was brilliant. Like Marri, Barru flew like a pro. I love how he went to the ledge, hopped around the scrape, flapped those wings like crazy and out he went. Tears. Congratulations to Xavier and Diamond – two beautiful fledges for 2023.

Aren’t these two just the cutest little osplets? We blinked. Overnight they left the Reptilian Stage and started their way to juvenile plumage. And now there are those Clown Feet! Adorable. Sweet. Civil. We only had the rare little incident. Lovely.

Mum went fishing. She flew in with a really nice one at 09:05:13.

She is feeding herself and her kids. A bite for you and a bite for you. That is a huge fish Mum brought in. Remember. The supplementary fish is simply that – supplementary. The three are hungry and this is wonderful.

Mum was hungry. The osplets are stuffed. I am feeling glorious right now. So, when anyone asks: Do the female ospreys go fishing to feed their family? You know the answer. Mum can leave her chicks because they can regulate their temperatures. They are bigger and not easy prey as they would have been a couple of weeks ago. Bravo, Mum!

The feeding lasted 88 minutes. Mum finished the fish off. She was very hungry.

Dad brought in a whole fish at 13:56:20. I bet he is hoping there is some fish left for him!

They are still eating!

Dad looks like he has a nice crop. I wonder if he ate a fish and caught another one to bring to the nest?

Dad is sure looking close to see if there is anything left. Just look at the crops on those babies.

PLO did not supply any supplementary fish – they did not need to. Mum brought in that whopper and Dad brought in three fish. Thanks ‘H’. The fishing conditions must have been so much better yesterday. Fantastic.

The big excitement is the streaming cam at Captiva, and there are already ospreys visiting the new platform that was put up by Window to Wildlife after Hurricane Ian. Sadly, they had just installed a new platform and camera then. Let us hope that this is a safer year.

Beautiful images coming out of Centreport Bald Eagles.

No rest for Bella. Smitty has been missing for too long and there are many intruders.

Hoping there is nothing amiss with Abby at Eagle Country.

The GHOs are back at the Bald Eagle nest on the Pritchett Property.

‘H’ reports that one of the eagles has been in the SW Florida nest for some time. Is today egg laying day? or are they protecting the nest from the GHOs?

I am not sure what is happening at the nest of Gabby in The Hamlet. That is the reason that I have made no comment. Waiting to see what will happen there in the next couple of days. She nipped at the feathers of a visitor male today in the nest bowl.

Shadow and Jackie were both at Big Bear on Monday.

Waiting or her mate with hope for a better year.

More information coming in about the camera at the West End.

Did you know that Shrikes keep a larder just like Peregrine Falcons and some other birds so that there is food for their chicks?

Shrikes-store-prey-for-healthier-chicks-BirdGuides Download

I love Corvids and this beautiful Raven came to Loch Arkaig. The now familiar Buzzard had been there a few hours earlier.

Thank you so much for being with me today. Take care of yourselves. We look forward to seeing you again soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, articles, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ‘A, H’, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Heidi Mc, PLO, Liz Schwartz, Deb Stecyk, Sassa Bird, SW Florida Eagle Cam, NEFL-AEF, FOBBV, Holly Parsons, Gracie Shepherd, Bird Guides, and Geemeff.

The osplets are ‘itchy’…Sunday in Bird World

5 November 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

Saturday was a day that fluctuated between blue skies and grey. It was also the day I learned all there is to know about making insulated homes for the feral cats that come to my feeder. Our winters are cold and can be wet with heavy snow. I often long for the dry snow that used to blow across the country roads, creating ‘whiteouts’ on the highway. Most often, I was told when I first arrived on the Canadian Prairies, people would go off the road and into the ditch but on the other side. Whiteouts are precisely that – solid white – opaque milk glass. You quickly get disoriented when you are driving, and the snow is blowing across the highway.

The insulated boxes mean ‘The Boyfriend’ and another friend (wonder who that will be?) will have warm and dry places to stay if they choose – under the deck. That horrid old carpet that needs to be replaced will remain til spring. It will keep the snow from falling between the decking onto the ground below. Hopefully, they will have a nicer winter.

Calico can watch them from inside, snug and warm. Gosh, I love how that cat finally came to trust me. The three girls are such wonderful gifts. They are creatures of ritual and the story reading one is very precious. It reminds me of the time when my children were small and cuddled in for their bedtime stories. Now they nestle on the scrap quilt my grandmother made beside me – Calico and Hope – with Missey either on the table or the cat tree. I am so lucky. If petting a cat removes stress, my life should be completely stress free!

Today I did put a little post in FB seeking out a very young male kitten, a little brother for them. I am looking for a little boy younger than Hope, perhaps 6-8 weeks. Fingers crossed.

Calico trying to catch a ‘cat nap’. Hope does sleep but rather than eat or sleep, she would much rather play!

In keeping to my promise to try and get out to the park for a walk at least 5 days out of 7, I headed off to check on the Wood Ducks, the Mallards, and the Canada Geese that were at Kildonan Park a week ago. There is an area by the ‘Witches Hut’ where people come to feed them seed.

There were no ducks in sight, but there were twenty-five Canada Geese.

Squirrels who are getting their thick winter coats were chasing one another all around the park, up and down the trees, and across the snow. Isn’t this one adorable with his paw across his chest? I bet he thought I might have a peanut. Sadly, I did not – which reminds me that I must get some peanuts for the feeders. They must be rationed because of Little Red, who will take them all and not share. Dyson and Gang, along with the Blue Jays generally eat the nuts this time of year.

‘H’ knows how much I love ducks and geese, and she checks on the Barnegat Light streaming cam regularly. Today, she sent me such a treat – a short video clip of the Brandt Geese. You should check out that streaming cam! Oh, I would love to be sitting in those dunes listening to them.

Wikipedia gives us the following information: “The brant is a small goose with a short, stubby bill. It measures 55–66 cm (22–26 in) long, 106–121 cm (42–48 in) across the wings and weighs 0.88–2.2 kg (1.9–4.9 lb).^[4][5][6][7] The under-tail is pure white, and the tail black and very short (the shortest of any goose).The species is divided into three subspecies:^[8]

Dark-bellied brant goose B. b. bernicla (Linnaeus, 1758)
Pale-bellied brant goose B. b. hrota (Müller, 1776) (also known as light-bellied brent goose in Europe, and Atlantic brant in North America)
Black brant goose B. b. nigricans (Lawrence, 1846) (sometimes also known as the Pacific brant in North America)”.

Audubon describes their migration. It is possible that ‘L’ spotted one in Mobile Bay today!

“Long-distance migrant, travelling in flocks. Birds from central Canadian Arctic move down east side of Hudson Bay, then may make nonstop flight overland from southern James Bay to central Atlantic Coast of USA. In Alaska, large numbers gather at Izembek Lagoon and then depart almost simultaneously for long overwater flight to wintering areas on Pacific Coast. Migrating flocks may fly very high. Wintering birds may linger later in spring than most geese, as coastal breeding areas in high Arctic remain unsuitable for nesting until summer.”

“Brant Geese” by flythebirdpath > > > is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.

“Brant Geese” by Andrew_N is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.

In her book, The Comfort of Crows, Margaret Renkl says, “The world will always be beautiful to those who look for beauty.”

In the garden, it was damp and grey today. The snow is melting and everything looks ugly. I’m not too fond of this time of year. When you leave your garden to be messy to help the birds and insects, there are some weeks when everything looks so dishevelled, so rotten, in such a mess. I must remind myself that all of this is for the greater good and hope that a large dump of snow will come and cover it with a winter blanket until spring!

The European Starlings flew in and out, and a Blue Jay has been searching through the Black oil Seed to see if the Sparrows left him anything. It is time to go and get some food just for the Blue Jay, but, of course, that will not work as the others will want to share in the goodies, too.

This is Junior, the Dad. He was at the feeder with the youngest of the fledglings the other day. Several appear to have moved on. Often Junior will stay for most of the winter.

It has been especially difficult to get a good image of the Starlings when they come in during the day. They are fond of the solid suet and have consumed many large cylinders this past week in their attempt to keep warm.

Now if I misspell names, tell me! Bazz not Bazza, Giliath. I put an ‘a’ in there. It is Barru and Marri. Apologies all around. My fingers sometimes go faster than my brain!!!!!!!

At the beginning of the season at Orange, my wish was for one healthy eyas. Instead, we have two. Double happiness for Diamond and Xavier this year. And that second hatch is quite the character. Barru and Marri have their ongoing tug-o-wars for prey and then, in a wink, sit there and pull off pieces, sharing their lunch. What great siblings!

It has been a glorious year at Orange.

Just look at how much soft white down is coming off the backs and wings of these two. Imagine if you will that it might well be all gone, flying about the scrape along with the feathers from the prey being plucked. Marri and Barru are turning into ‘falcons’.

‘A’ reports: “There was much wingercising, eating and screeching, along with zoomies around the scrape. THOSE EYES! Oh how gorgeous are those sidelong glances? So very cute. And we’re only a week from fledge watch!! Surely not. Already? Here are today’s time stamps: PREY 07.02 04, 08.16.37, 09.50.37, 17:10:18, 19.09.00, 19.18.35 FEED 07.02(M,D,B), 09.52(M,D,B), 11:57(X scrap from floor), 17:10 (M&B), 19.09(M&B), 19.19 (M,D). HIGHLIGHTS: 17:18 Barru takes the prey! 18:05:46 Marri shows off her giant wings but 18:07:18 Barru wins the winger competition. 18:08:23 they discuss it with beakies. 19:18:38 tug-o-war between Barru and Marri. Barru wins the tug-o-war at 19:18:49. We will miss this pair. What huge personalities they both are. As always, Diamond and Xavier do raise one male chick each year who is a very memorable eyas indeed. Izzi. Yurruga. Rubus. And this year, Barru. I do think this is their first female chick in many many years – Marri is definitely female IMO, as she is as big as her mum (bigger with all that fluff) and towers over poor little Xavier.”

The water at Port Lincoln is choppy. Will Dad get a fish in? How will the boat ride be for Fran and Bazz as they head out to get fish for the nest on the barge?

Giliath and #2 are getting almost too big to fit under Mum comfortably. You will be able to notice the pin feathers coming in if you look carefully.

The kids are preening. Feathers are itchy!

It is 1244 and no fish has arrived at Port Lincoln yet – not from Dad or the fish fairy. Thinking they need a tank!

It is mid-afternoon. Dad appears on the ropes. Mum and kids in the nest waiting for fish. I hope the fish fairies are not having difficulty finding the catch of the day.

‘A’ reports: “At Port Lincoln, dad brought in only one small fish for the entire day (at 10:07:20), which fed both osplets a small snack. So it was indeed fortunate that the fish fairy delivered an extra large whole trevally (709 grams) at 14:51. This fed both kids to their gills (the feeding lasted 69 minutes), and there was another feeding from the same fish at 16:27 which was listed on the Obs Board as small but apparently lasted for 29 minutes. Either way, both osplets had full crops at bedtime.”

It is raining in the Sydney Olympic Forest home to the Sea Eagles and the two fledglings SE31 and 32.

Several years ago, a dear ‘late’ friend, Phyllis Robbins, introduced me to Cathy Cook. Cathy lives near the Discovery Centre, and you might remember that she has helped spot the sea eagle fledglings when they are grounded. She has helped on more than one occasion to get help for them, even riding with them in the van to the rehab clinic. I so admire her dedication to these beautiful raptors. Today, Cathy has some news for us that will make you smile.

Then there is more great news!!!!!!!!!!!! Just tape that smile on your face. Look at this sea eaglet.

‘A’ sends the report from Sydney: “November 5: Rain and wind this morning. No action on the nest during the day, but great observations from our ground team again. One juvenile, we think SE32, was seen with the parents across the river in the mangroves, possibly eating as well. Both appear to be still in the area. The watching and listening continues.”

Gracie Shepherd caught Irv and Claire at the US Steel Bald Eagle nest in Pennsylvania. Bravo! I keep missing them. So glad they are both home safe and planning for a new season.

Gabby and V3 continue to work on their nest near Jacksonville. Have these two ever mated? ‘A’ has been sceptical for some time. Now, I am starting to wonder. Why would V3 be camera-shy?

And at Duke Farms…

There are beautiful eagles in the trees with their fall leaves at Decorah.

It was a stunning morning at Big Bear, but I did not see Jackie and/or Shadow at the nest (yet). Don’t you love the way the sun rising creates those beautiful diamonds?

Pepe and Muhlady are taking such good care of that precious egg. Look for another soon!

The situation at the SW Florida Bald Eagle nest of M15 and F23 – or is it the nest of the GHOs – is worrisome. Whose nest is it? M15 and F23 have not been sleeping at the nest. Do they know that the owls are staking it out as their own?

Some news from around the world:

A growing colony of terns! Oh, I do love terns. My friend ‘S’ has some terns living in her garden on the Hawaiian islands, and they are so pretty. We also have terns in Manitoba during the spring and summer breeding seasons.

Recently-discovered-Sandwich-Tern-colony-is-thriving-BirdGuides Download

Banana noses????

Short-tailed Albatross incubating eggs on Midway.

The Black Stork migration continues. Maria Marika reports that many are flying over Egypt. They are almost to their winter homes. I hope Kaia is with them and she is safe. It would be grand if Karl II was by her side – hard to imagine we lost him.

The Royal Albatross continue to return to Taiaroa Peninsula to find their mates and start the process of nest building and egg laying!

Do you know this nest cam with squirrels and songbirds in Nagano?

Please share. Once, when we were trying to protect some Cooper’s Hawk nests in my city, I was told repeatedly, that the hawks had been carrying away the local dogs! The gentleman who told me this was busy trying to locate all the nests in the area so he could destroy them. It took great effort and one of the local wildlife officers to deter his actions.

Thank you so much for being with us today in Bird World. Please stay safe. I hope to see you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, their posts, photographs, videos, graphics, articles, and streaming cams that helped me write my blog today: ‘A, B, H, L’, Wikipedia, Audubon, Openverse, Margaret Renkl, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, PLO, Cathy Cook, Sydney Sea Eagle Cam, Gracie Shepherd, Rohan Geddes, NEFL-AEF, Duke Farms, Raptor Resource Project/Explore, FOBBV, Superbeaks, Androcat, Bird Guides, The Petrel Station and Seabird Tours and Research, Holly Parsons, Maria Marika, Lady Hawk, Nagano Songbird Cam, and The Medina Raptor Centre.

Category Archives: Blue Jays

It’s raining Ospreys…Achieva chick demise…Saturday in Bird World

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Friday in Bird World

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Dual feeding at SW Florida, intruder lands on Gabby’s nest…Thursday in Bird World

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Saturday in Bird World

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Friday in Bird World

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Jack blown off nest…Wednesday in Bird World

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Tuesday in Bird World

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M15 and F23 – their first egg together!…Saturday in Bird World

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Barru fledges…Tuesday in Bird World

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The osplets are ‘itchy’…Sunday in Bird World

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